PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE.

1132 With all the fere pat hym folowes, furse men of

Armys;

Book IV.

and Peleus command the

And

3e sothely your-selfe, þat soueran are here, one; and that With your company clene as ye come hider. Jason full iustly aioynet to my-seluon, 1136 With a soume of soudiours assignet vs with, Draw furthe in the derke er þe day springe, Wyn us to be wallis, wacche pere vndur, Vmset all the Citie er þe sun rise;

they, along with Jason and himself and their soldiers, should form an ambush under the city walls,

1140 Lurke vnder leuys logget with vines

Till tithaundes in toune be told to þe kyng,
Of our come to pis coste, and pe case wist.
He will aray hym full rad with a route noble,

1144 And shape hym to our shippes with his shene

knightes;

Vnwar of our werkes wete vs not pere.

bat oper part of our pupull put we in thre; Nestor with a nombur of noble men all, 1148 ffare shall before the forward to lede:

Castor with his company come next after,
Pollux with his pupull pursu on the laste.
These batels on the banke abide now here,

1152 ffeght with hym fuersly and his fell pupull;
The Citie to sese in þe same tyme,

We shall found by my feith, or ellis fay worthe:
So may we sonyst the souerain distrye.

1156 To werke on this wise and our wille haue,

I hope it shall happon in a hond w[h]ile."
Hit likit well be lordes pat pe lede said,
And plainly the pupull purpast perfore.
1160 Then Telamon full tyte with a triet pupull,
Pelleus with a power, & pe prise Ercules,
Jason full iustly and Joly knightes moo,
With all the here þat þei hade highet belyue,

1164 Armet at all peces abull to fight;

Wonen vp wynly vppon wale horses,

39

while the other band, under Nestor, Castor, and Pollux, should wait near the ships to engage the enemy.

The council adopt

the plan, and

prepare to
execute it.

(fol. 20 b.)

Book IV.

The two bands

are arranged: the ambuscade is set.

At sunrise Laomedon is informed that

the Greeks have landed and are in battle array.

He summons his troops and

prepares to meet the enemy.

The Greeks under
Nestor are the

first to meet the
Trojans.

(fol. 21 a.)

Silen to the Citie softly and faire;

Lurkyt vnder lefe-sals loget with vines,

1168 Busket vndur bankes on bourders with-oute.

pes oper batels at the banke abidyng full stille,
The kyng for to kepe and pere course holde.
And whiles pese renkes pus rest þan rises þe sun,
1172 Bredis with his beames all pe brode vales.
Hit was noiset anon þat a noumbur hoge

Of Grekes were gedret & pe grounde hade.

When pe kyng hade knowyng he comaund
beliue

1176 pat the Citye samyn were assemblet In haste,
Iche buerne on his best wise batell to yelde.
Comyn to be kyng in companies grete,
Mony stithe man in stoure on stedis enarmyt,
1180 All redy for pe rode Arayet for the werre.

The kyng depertid his pupull, put hom in twyn,
In batels on his best wise for boldyng hym-seluyn.
Vnwar of þe weghes pat by the walles lay,
1184 (He knew not the caste of þe curste pepull,

Ne dred no dissait þat hym derit after,)
He busket to pe banke with a bolde chere,
With his freikes in filde to pe fight on þe playne.
1188 be Grekes hym agayne with a grym ffare,
flaryn to be fight with a frike wille.
Duke Nestor anon, nobli arayed,
Countres the kyng with a cant pupull:
1192 Bothe batels on bent brusshet to-gedur;

With stithe strokes and store, strong men of

armys,

Shildes throgh shote shalkes to dethe;
Speires vnto sprottes sprongen ouer hedes,

1196 So fuerse was the frusshe when pai first met.

All dynnet þe dyn the dales Aboute,

When helmes and hard stele hurlet to-gedur;
Knightes cast doune to pe cold vrthe.

LAOMEDON ENCOUNTERS NESTOR.

1200 Sum swalt in a swym with-outen sware more,

toynet.

1204 pen Castor the kyng comys vpponone,

Mony perysshet in pe plase er pe prise endit.
The Troiens were tydé, & tid pere pe bettur,
And the grekes on pe ground were greatly as- The Greeks fall

into confusion:

Restoris hom with strenght pat distroyet were. ben be crie wax kene, crusshyng of wepyns, And the fight so felle of pe fresshe knightes, 1208 þe Troiens were torne tynte of pere folkes. Lamydon, þat hom led, as a lion fore,

Bare don mony bolde & brittonede to dethe; Mony kilde the kyng to be cold vrthe, 1212 Mony woundit we from his weppont paste. So fuersly he fore with his felle dynttes, bat pe Grekes with gremy geuyn hym way. ben Pollux aperit with pepull ynogh,

1216 Brusshit into batell & moche bale wroght; Alse wode of his wit as pe wild ffyre,

Mony bolde buerne on pe bent the bold king
(slogh),

Book IV.

Launches euyn to Lamydon with a light wille.
he king consayuit his come, keppit hym

swithe,

Ricchis his reynys & th Reenke metys: 1232 Girden to-gedur with pere grete speires.

Many perish on both sides.

are restored by Castor.

41

(MS. has
'shogh.")

Mony turnyt with tene topsayles ouer,

1220 pat hurlet to be hard vrthe & pere horse leuyt. Lamydon at the laste lokit besyde,

Segh his folke so fare & his fos kene,

ffor wothe of þe worse & of weirdis feble, 1224 He with-drogh hym A draght & a dyn made, Gedrit all his gynge And his grounde held. Duke Nestor Anon nemly persayuit hat he was prinse of pe pepull & pe power led, Laomedon.

Nestor resolves to attack

1228 He left all his ledis & a launse caght,

(fol. 21 b.)

They meet, and
Laomedon pierces

Book IV.

the shield of

Nestor; the spear is shivered,

and he is hurled to the ground.

Nestor, unhorsed by a young knight Sedar, is at the mercy of Laomedon.

The rescue.

(fol. 22 a.) Castor, seeing

Nestor wounded,

rushes upon Sedar.

The king share thrugh his shild with pe sharpe

ende,

And the rod all-to roofe right to his honde;
The Duke had dyed of pe dynt doutles anon,
1236 But the souerayn hym-seluon was surly enarmyt,
And the kyng with the caupe caste to pe ground,
With a warchand wounde thurgh his wedis all.
He feynyt not for pe fall ne pe felle hurtte,
1240 But stert vp stithly, straght out a swerde
And flange at the freike with a ffyn wille.
A 30nge knight and a 3epe, 3yneris of hert,
High[t] Sedar for sothe, suet to be Duke

1244 With a bir on pe brest, pat backeward he 3ode,

And fuersly of his foole fell to be grounde. be king fayne of pe falle and pe freke segh, And bare to be bolde with a bigge sworde. 1248 The bourder of his basnet brestes in sonder,

And videt the viser with a vile dynt,

Gaffe hym a great wounde in his grete face.

He hade slayne hym slighly for sleght pat he

couth,

1252 But a gret nowmbur of Grekes gedrit hym vmbe,
And put hym fro purpas pof pai payn polit:
hai hurlet hym fro horse fete & of hond toke,
Set hym in his sadill þof he vnsound were.
1256 Castor the king conceyuit beliue,

That Nestor with noy was nolpit to ground,
He Richet his Reynes and his roile stroke,
Suet vnto Sedar with a sore wepyn,

1260 To deyre hym with a dynt for pe Dukes sake.
And er he come to the king, so his course fell,
One caupet with hym kenely, a cosyn of Sedars,
And set hym a sad dynt, Secorda he high[t]:
1264 His shafte all-to sheuerit the shalke was unhurt,

And Castor in the caupyng the knight euyll

wondyt,

A Sore dynt in the syde at the same coursse.
Sedar was sory for sake of his cosyn,
1268 Carue euyn at Castor with a kene sworde,
be shilde away share vnto the shyre necke,
And all pe haspes of his helme pat pe hede 3emyt;
With a swinge of his sworde swappit hym in þe
fase,

1272 Bare hym ouer backeward to pe bare vrthe.
When pe freke was fallen & on foote light,
He laid vppon lyuely & no lede sparit, .
3ald hym not get for zynernes of hert.
1276 pan pollux full pertly aprochet in hast

With seuyn hundrithe sad men assemblit hym

with,

CASTOR AND POLLUX.

1280 Horsit hym in haste, halpe hym olofte;

1284

ffrochit into pe frount & a fray made;

Bere backeward the batell & his brother toke,

And pollux with a proude wille prickit to an-
oper,

One Eliatus, a lede, and hym o liue broght.

The kynges son of Cartage & a knight noble,
Aliet vnto Lamydon by his lefe suster,
Cosyn to the kyng, & he his kyde Em,

Pité of pat pert knight persit his hert,
þat the shire water shot ouer his shene chekys.
Myche woo hade pe wegh for pe wale knight,
And assemblit his sad men on a soppe hole,
With a horne þat he hade, in a hond while,
(Seuyn thousand be sowme all of sure knightes,)
1292 And charget hom chefely for chaunse vppon

1288

vrthe,

ffor to dere for the dethe of his dere cosy. pen the Troiens full tite tariet no lengur, Gird euyn to the Grekes with a grym fare; 1296 Slogh hom downe sleghly & slaunge hom to

grounde;

43

Book IV.

Sedar fights with Castor, and wounds him.

Pollux with seven hundred men

comes to the rescue.

(Alyattes, king

of Lydia.)

(fol. 22 b.)

The Trojans are rallied, and drive the Greeks to their ships.